Last week, CAIR-Chicago Board Member Yaser Tabbara and I travelled to Glasgow to speak at the Scottish Islamic Foundation’s (SIF) annual national conference, entitled “Scottish Muslim Futures.”

CAIR-Chicago and the Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium (MYLS) will participate in coalition with several organizations in the Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) National Day of Service 2009. Many of the organizations feature youth programs and an interreligious engagement focus within their community outreach and advocacy. Both events will coincide with the national observance of the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Monday, January 19, 2009.

CAIR-Chicago joined members of the greater Chicago Muslim community this week to witness the installation of 26 new Cook County Circuit Court judges. Over 60 students from Universal and Aqsa Schools of Bridgeview and MECCA attended the event.

American history is riddled with incidents of institutionalized discrimination and policies that marginalized minorities. While the federal government had come to regret such episodes, the current administration is repeating some of these mistakes.

Two senior members from the Council on American Islamic Relations will be touring Scotland in advance of their appearance at the Scottish Muslim Futures conference in Glasgow.

On November 4th the CAIR-Chicago office was closed as staff members volunteered at the Mosque Foundation of Bridgeview, headquarters of the New American Democracy Project's "Get Out The Vote" (GOTV) Campaign.

CAIR-Chicago, Mosque, Foundation, and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and refugee rights (ICIRR) joined forces this year to promote voter participation in the upcoming election through a fellowship program entitled the New American Democracy Project (NADP). The program has been a resounding success, managing to register over 1,200 new voters in the just the Chicago-land area.

For the second time this year, selfless donors from a variety of backgrounds gathered in the Loop to give their blood to people who need it during a recent American Red Cross of Greater Chicago blood drive. The drive, sponsored by CAIR-Chicago and the United Muslims Moving Ahead (UMMA) of DePaul University, was held on Thursday, October 16, 2008.

Chicago Jews and Muslims united at the Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel Congregation in the Lakeview neighborhood on the North Side on Monday, September 22nd, for “Iftar in the Synagogue,” a special interfaith event that drew both groups together to eat, pray, learn and discuss the similarities of their faith.

During this blessed month, CAIR-Chicago's Ramadan Outreach program has worked to meet with various mosques and Islamic centers in the Chicagoland area and beyond.

Sunday September 14, 2008, marked the completion the fourth Muslim Youth Leadership Symposium (MYLS) sponsored by the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago). The latest event was held at the DePaul University College of Law.

CAIR-Chicago was recently recognized at the Mosque Foundation’s 13th Ramadan Community banquet in Bridgeview. The annual banquet celebrates the teamwork of individuals, organizations, and public officials who serve the Bridgeview community.

Are you looking for ways to get involved in your community? Frustrated by the challenges Muslims face in America?

CAIR-Chicago’s board and staff would like to welcome new Board members, Kimberly Newkirk, Dr. Shahwar Syed, Emaad Hamwi, and Khaled Taha.

Over 200 Chicagoans joined Café Finjan this Thursday, August 21st for a night of Muslim and Jewish interfaith performances and discussion. Café Finjan is a series of interfaith arts exchanges, begun in 2004 by the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA) as part of its Jewish-Muslim Community-Building Initiative.

CAIR-Chicago Staff Attorney Kevin Vodak represented a man at a status hearing for an employment discrimination complaint.

Civil Rights Director Christina Abraham filed an appeal with the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) on behalf of a Muslim man who was denied public accommodation on the basis of his national origin and religion.

CAIR-Chicago PILI Fellow Elisa Jillson represented a man at a status hearing regarding his citizenship delay case

Civil Rights Director Christina Abraham represented a Muslim man who had applied for naturalization. The man first applied for citizenship in 2003. He subsequently passed his test and interview. CAIR-Chicago sent out inquiries to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on the man’s behalf.

CAIR-Chicago PILI Fellow Elisa Jillson represented a woman in a complaint against a local suburban library. The woman contacted CAIR-Chicago after she was denied permission to put up an informational display on Ramadan despite the fact that displays on Ramadan and other religious holidays have been permitted in the past.